Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of

grief Grief is the response to the loss of something deemed important, particularly to the death of a person to whom or animal to which a Human bonding, bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, ...

and

loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived or actual isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism that motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perc ...

parents may feel when their children move out of the family home, such as to live on their own or to pursue a

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

. It is not a clinical condition. Since the departure of their children from "the

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold Egg (biology), eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of ...

" leads to adjustments in parents' lives, it frequently results in depression and a loss of purpose for parents. Empty nest syndrome is especially common in full-time mothers or single fathers.

Symptoms and effects

All parents are susceptible to empty nest syndrome, although some factors can create a predisposition to it. Such factors include an unstable or unsatisfactory

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

, a sense of self based primarily on identity as a parent, or difficulty accepting change in general. Full-time parents ( stay-at-home mothers or

fathers A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fathe ...

) may be especially vulnerable to empty nest syndrome. Adults who are also dealing with other stressful life events such as the death of a spouse, moving away or

retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

are also more likely to experience the syndrome. Symptoms of empty nest syndrome can include depression, a sense of loss of purpose, feelings of rejection, or worry, stress, and anxiety over the child's welfare. Parents who experience empty nest syndrome often question whether or not they adequately prepared their child to live independently. Many mothers, often the primary caregivers, are more likely than fathers to experience empty nest syndrome. However, research has shown that some fathers expressed feelings that they were unprepared for the emotional transition that comes with their child leaving home. Others have stated feelings of guilt over lost opportunities to be more involved in their children's lives before they left home. Empty nest parents often face new challenges, such as establishing a new kind of relationship with their children, having to find other ways to occupy their free time, reconnecting with each other, and a lack of

sympathy Sympathy is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the Mental distress, distress or need of another life form. According to philosopher David Hume, this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspe ...

from people who believe that parents should be happy when their children leave home.

Coping

One of the easiest ways for parents to cope with empty nest syndrome is to keep in contact with their children. Technological developments such as

cell phones A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive Telephone call, calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones (landline phone ...

text messaging Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktops/laptops, or ...

, and the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

all allow for increased communication between parents and their children. Parents going through empty nest syndrome can ease their stress by pursuing their own

hobbies A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...

and interests in their increased spare time. Discussing their grief with each other, friends, families, or professionals may help them. Experts have advised that overwhelmed parents keep a journal, or go back to work if they were full-time parents. It is important for an empty nester to realize that what they are feeling is normal. It is normal to feel some loss in self when becoming an empty nester. But it is important to replace the meaningful experience of parenting with other meaningful experiences. What can help to find meaningful experiences is to make a list of roles that a person has fulfilled in their life and then seek roles that can be expanded on to add meaning in life.

Recent trends

Since the 2000s, the so-called " Boomerang Generation"—young adults who return to live with their parents—have changed the dynamics of the traditional empty nest phenomenon.Cohen, F.T., DeVault, C., & Strong, B. (2011). ''The marriage and family experience: Intimate relationships in a changing society'' (11th ed.). Canada: Linda Schreiber-Ganster. Factors such as the high

unemployment rate in the United States Unemployment in the United States discusses the causes and measures of U.S. unemployment and strategies for reducing it. Job creation and unemployment are affected by factors such as economic conditions, global competition, education, auto ...

and constrained job markets have been used to explain the surge in such individuals.

Census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

data from 2008 showed that as many as 20 million 18–34-year-olds (34% of that age group) were living at home with their parents. A decade earlier, only 23% of people in that age group did so. In Canada, multigenerational living is increasing.

In popular culture

Comics

* Peter de Wit drew ''Het Lege Nest'', a 2011

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

about his personal experience involving empty nest syndrome and psychological advice to overcome these feelings.

Film

* In '' An Extremely Goofy Movie'',

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fe ...

suffers from empty nest syndrome after his son

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

departs for college. During his work hours at the toy

assembly line An assembly line, often called ''progressive assembly'', is a manufacturing process where the unfinished product moves in a direct line from workstation to workstation, with parts added in sequence until the final product is completed. By mechan ...

, Goofy's sadness results in him being careless and eventually resulting in him inadvertently causing a massive explosion in the factory leading to Goofy getting fired from his job. *In the 2018 animated

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

short film '' Bao'', an aging and lonely Chinese mother suffers from empty nest syndrome until she gets an unexpected second chance at motherhood when her homemade

baozi Baozi (), or simply bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steaming, steamed. They are a variation of ...

dumpling comes to life. *In '' Paddington in Peru'', Mrs Brown experiences the beginnings of empty nest syndrome, resulting in her agreeing that the family take a trip to Peru to visit Paddington's Aunt Lucy and to bring them closer together as a family one last time.

TV

*''

Empty Nest ''Empty Nest'' is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from October 8, 1988, to June 17, 1995. The series, which was created as a spin-off of ''The Golden Girls'' by creator and producer Susan Harris, starred Richa ...

'', an American sitcom (1988–1995), deals with a situation where the protagonist's wife dies and his two adult daughters move in with him. *In the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

show '' Fuller House'', Aunt Becky seems to be suffering from either this, or baby fever, or both, after her twin sons go to college, as she displays an extreme attachment to DJ's baby son Tommy.